Does a Water Bottling Plant Waste 50% Water ?

Well, this is a very loose talk. Even the plant suppliers also sound very loose when they easily claim that 50% of water is only usable, & the rest is thrown, waste. This has to be corrected properly, let's do it :-

It's not 50 % flat

Agreed, the RO system, in a way to filter out even the dissolved solids, reject certain salts, which go with water. However, this depends upon how much quantity of salts or solids are there in it first. There are many minerals, the collective count is called as the TDS. Roughly the count of the TDS will give you how many these salt particals are there in the Raw Water. It's measured in PPM (Particals per million) : How many salt particals are there in 10 Lakh total Water Particals. 

There is a simple device called TDS Meter, which can easily tell you about the same. If the TDS is 200, meaning just 200 particals in total 10 Lakh (1 million) particals. Depending upon the level of impurity it is decided as to how much water can be bottled as pure water. It can be 90% also if the raw water is of very good quality.

It's not waste, It's Reject Water

It is allowable to used in own toilets/sanitary system or trees/plants/gardens to be used which ultimately will flow to the sewage system to get further filtered ultimately. Hence it is NOT waste water, it's reject water.

Can the Reject Water be re-used ?

Technically, yes. Practically : Not advisable for Water Bottling Plants. Why ? You can read a special post here on Zero Liquid Discharge Plants

New fssai new Rule : Who are the real targets ?

The Background :-

The fssai, has come out with a new rule that every Packaged Drinking Water producer must add minimum  amount of calcium & magnesium in their produce. The limits have been specified by them like 20-75 mg/ltr for calcium & 10 to 30 mg/ltr for magnesium. The highlights of this rule are :-

• These rules are made after the push of NGT (National Green Tribunal) in 2019.
• This is the 4th & final extension given to all Packaged Drinking Producers.
• This has to be implemented from January 1, 2021.
• All majors (the Brands) are said to be ready, which contribute to almost 60% of the market share still 

There are certain questions came to my mind ....

Whom are they targeting exactly ?

I have observed everytime, when a rule is created, its to target some particular segment within the sector itself. The key issues are identified, and , with the help of certain associations & govt bodies, these issues are identified. Then the action is formed & implemented.

What may be the key issue here ?

If it is the Water Quality (retention of minerals), then why the BIS doesn't make it compulsory. The BIS is the main licensing authority. There are 6000 + units all across India who possess a BIS license, and it's mandatory & fairly descriptive that fssai compliance. 

Is it to get more units registered with fssai ? The fssai license is also a compulsory thing in addition to the BIS. However, many units (almost75%) do not possess an fssai license. These all are from the inorganized sector- the nobrands. Is it to get them under fssai ?

Is it to just satisfy the Green Tribunal ? As mentioned in point 2, if it was that serious, they would really make amends in the BIS rules. However, there is no news from them. The NGT has been shouting quite a loud from last couple of years. Is it just to give them some consolation ? 

Shall we be observing a Price Hike ? The Packaged Drinking Water Bottle MRP looks to be settled at Rs.20 , quite for some time now. Is there an overall, well justified plan to take it to Rs.25 or Rs.30 ? The Industry has incurred some major losses during the Covid-19 period & has been reporting these losses. Is it an all-industry combined action-plan to justify the "would-be" price hike ?

Reduce the "Duplicators" ?

This is an other challenged by this industry, if more rules are imposed, there will be lesser people who may dare to duplicate without license.

WHO connected guidelines

Has WHO issued more guidelines after Covid in particular ? This rule may be in line with implementing them.

Favoring the NMW

NMW means the Natural Mineral Water segment. It has rich content of minerals, naturally. The price is like heaven for these bottles. Right from the Himalayan to the Veen, these waters are heavily charged, almost 5-10 times than them. This rule benefits them, that's for sure.

Points to make ...

1. The rule seems to be good/ok. However, challenge is the implementation. The inorganized sector doesn't seem to care about the basic value principle of this industry : Offering Hygiene. To really make them aware on their principle value is a major thing. 
2. Who are those "purifying companies" which Bisleri says, who are doing excessive filtration ? If we observe all packaged Water companies (bisleri & others) have a TDS count of 30-72 for final water. And they too implement the RO process, which itself setup to remove the TDS - Total Dissolved solids from the source water.
3. A technical point : There are many other minerals, with which the water quality is observed. Just increasing the Calcium & Magnesium ....will it balance the Water Quality ?

Conclusion

Let's welcome the rule, as it is created after numerous amends from time to time, after being reviewed by several scientists, industry experts. With a very clear & assertive mindset, we should always look at the positive outcomes of the rule. That's an assertive thought.

Ozonation as Pre-treatment : A New "Must-be" after Covid-19 ?

What is Ozonation ?

Ozonation is the process of adding ozone into the produced pure water in a Bottled Water Plant, before final packing. The very general usage for common man to understand is that it enhances the life by increasing the oxygen level, till the bottle gets opened.

The Whole Process in brief

Usually Groundwater doesn't need this.The Ozonation is required for Biological Treatment, removing microbes from Source Water. In ground water the chances are lesser, compared to surface water. Bottled Water uses the groundwter mostly, hence no need actually.

But, can be a better additional measure

However, it can be an additional measure to have more purity. And you can also "Market" the same. It can be a great addition to your post covid-19 marketing weapons.

How Bisleri maintains quality in a Packaged Drinking Water Plant

Learn from the leaders

Bisleri, as you know, has been there since last 50 years. Who would have thought besides Mr Chouhan, to introduce this concept in a country like India. Truly a visionary, a forward thinker in all respects.

In the following post on Linked-In, he shares how his company takes care of the quality aspect. Also follow the link to the post he has shared to see how Bisleri has handles troubled Covid-19 times.

If you read the post carefully, you will find how important are the quality aspects for a Water Business Success, Also read simple 10-Point tips on Water Plant Quality

Challenges faced by Packaged Drinking Water Producers

The Challenges in major 2 areas :-

Drop in Sales :-

No Institutional sales like sales to commercial establishments

Usually Packaged Drinking Water is sold to domestic & commercial establishments like corporates, institutions, Shopping Malls etc. That being totally closed, the sales are affected. 

Household Sale also down 

This sale is down too, as people , out of insecurity, not keeping a stock of water, consuming less, even if it's summer time.

Distributor Sales Very Low

It also depends upon distributors, who too are facing the same issue as discussed above.

Supplies not Available

Due to the Jar Production units not functioning, the distributors need to maintain the rotation of Jars, making it possible to give just 2 jars maximum per house. 

Challenges towards Manpower

Deliveries 

Due to the timing restrictions, the delivery of Water Jars is greatly affected. Limited amount of deliveries with limited people only can be made during the period. 

Production 

As the timing is restricted from 6 AM to 1 PM, it is challenging to run the unit in these times, as commuting from a distant place might take 30-45 minutes to reach for a workman/woman, and it's equally difficult to find a vehicle during this period. Results : Production affected.

Quality Control 

Every unit has to observe certain guidelines from the B.I.S. It needs to maintain certain daily, weekly reports at the facility & also has to submit certain monthly, quarterly and annual reports to the B.I.S. It's very crucial to maintain this quality. With less people, chances are there to neglect this.

Machinery Maintenance

Mechanics , if not available, will pose an issue to smooth functioning of the unit, if there is a breakdown. It might unethically inspire a unit owner to bypass the Q.C. in order to meet the demand in whichever way.

Solutions & Opportunities 

• Customer Touch Points

It's an opportunity to take your brand to more people , as the number of customers may increase, though not sales. Can build a database for future, when times are alright. This will also increase your profits substantially.

• Ideal Time to develop an App

Through developing a proper Customer Journey Map (CJM) you can visualize the existing process of your sales and develop newer. It needs time, and you have it now. In addition, you also need some phase, like beta to test it on certain number of applications, installations. Once ready, you can implement it in your business, which can be a great additional channel into your business.

• Think of Water ATM as another branding & Delivery Channel

Imagine, if there are your Water ATM's installed at locations. People could come there with their own Jars & get the Jars refilled, and these ATMs can be used with RFID cards & vending Coin Options too. The good news is : They can be maintained through mobile apps. Look at the Water ATM Machine Advantages

Is Corporation Water really that bad ?

Effects of lockdown ..

Cities like Tiruchi in Tamilnadu is facing deep crisis due to the lockdown & containment of areas mainly. Because of which some people say that the Packaged Drinking Water suppliers are not able to deliver the Water Jars to households. If you are aware of Tamilnadu, many cities including Tiruchi aka Trichy aka Trichanapaali aka Tiruchirapally (Official name today). Trichy is a Tier-2 city in India, and has a polulation nearing 10 Lakh (2011 census figure)

The Challenges faced today 

One challenge is because of the lockdown : Dealers not able to supply because of sealing of areas. Water is an essential commodity & the people concerning Water Supply as well. Refer this article.

# Shouldn't the Water distributors be allowed little liberally to deliver water at least in these lockdown times ?

Another challenge is an ongoing kind of challenge : The Tap Water Quality. The citizens are scared to drink the corporation water, some complain that it contains too much bleach (chlorine). The Corporation authorities are definitely to be entrusted by citizens about the water quality. However, when 75% of the citizens are buying Packaged Drinking Water, what can be the real solution ?

#Special awareness drive ?

# Water ATM's ? (Advantages of Water ATM's) 

Comments welcome !